1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a protector for automobiles, and more particularly, to a protector to be used with vehicles doors to protect a user from the elements (rain, snow, etc.) as he or she opens the door.
2. Description of the Related Art
Several designs for protectors for automobile have been developed in the past. None of them, however, includes the use of frustro-conical members that reel in a protective sheet taking into consideration the differences in linear distension of the sheet as a formation of the separation from the hinges' point.
Applicant believes that the closest reference corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 5,476,302 issued to Michael B. Ronci on Dec. 19, 1995 for a cover for car door. Ronci's patented invention includes a cover for an automobile that is attached at one end to a (straight) roller, and at the other end to attachment points at the top of the door. Ronci's patent mentions that when the door is closed, the fabric is rolled unto the roller. However, there is no disclosure as to how the fabric is rolled unto the roller and what mechanism makes the invention work. It is clear Ronci's patented invention does not take into consideration the different magnitudes of distension or advancement of the fabric as the distance from the pivoting axis varies.
Other patents describing the closest subject matter provide for a number of more or less complicated features that fail to solve the problem in an efficient and economical way. None of these patents suggest the novel features of the present invention.